What this blog is about!

Now that we know most of our department store cosmetics and household products are full of harmful, cancer-causing and hormone-interrupting chemicals, what can we do about it? This blog is to help us all share ideas on what products we have tried, what products are relatively safe, what is affordable to the general public and what we have found to REALLY WORK! We are in this together!

It probably makes the most sense for you to start with the first post, and work your way up to the current one! We welcome your comments!

Monday, April 25, 2011

You won't believe it -- I think there is a safe deodorant out there that is affordable, works great, and is easy to find (got mine at WalMart for $2.97). This just might be a miracle~! It is called Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal and is a roll-on. Shake it first and be sure to let it dry for just a minute after you roll it on. You can find it on the top shelf next to the Tom's deodorant. It works -- hallelujah!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Those of you who live in the Salt Lake area and are looking for safe cosmetics and body care products to try, go in Natural Joy on 662 E. 9480 S. in Sandy. The owner, Joy, is SO knowledgable and helpful and hand selects wonderful products to carry in her store. We will be doing some upcoming product reviews of items from her shop that we personally try, so stay tuned for that. Also, she has a huge online selection at www.naturaljoybeauty.com or see the link at the bottom of our page. Tell her the Rack Pack sent you in. She is awesome and I love the products I've tried so far from her shop!!

Monday, April 11, 2011

It came to my attention today, through The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, that Glamour magazine actually had the guts to publish an article in their current May issue (now out in the stores) about toxins that are harming us entitled, "The New Toxic Threats to Women's Health." Never mind the fact that this article is sandwiched in between an ad for cologne with a lift and sniff flap and an ad for a chemical to put on your eyelids to help your eyelashes grow! They did, however, sneak in an ad about the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. At least it's a step in the right direction and actually a fairly bold move for a magazine who relies heavily on the advertisements of companies inundating our world with toxins and chemicals that are harming us. Read the article if you get a chance, or pull it up online. Toward the end of the article, there were 8 really good tips, and I quote them: 1. Eat well and exercise. 2. Buy fresh produce if possible (no packaging) and choose foods in glass containers instead of metal cans. 3. Don't put plastics in the microwave. 4. Always buy organic versions of food that have edible skins (to avoid pesticides, etc.). 5. Check the safety of your cosmetics and personal care products on cosmeticsdatabase.com. Here is my editorial comment - why don't YOU (Glamour magazine) check the safety of all of the things you advertise in your magazine!!!! 6. Cut back on cleaning products with fragrance or air fresheners. 7. Filter your tap water (to avoid pesticides which are an endocrine disruptor). 8. Take off your shoes before entering your home (to avoid tracking in pesticides and other cancer-causing substances). There! I hope I didn't make you not read the entire article. Do it! There was actually some great information in there.

While on a family beach vacation last weekend, I was so pleased to see all of the organic and toxic-free products that my mom and sister are using! I need to step up my game! I've switched over about half of all of my daily-use products, but after our vacation... I got out the garbage can once again! This time, I ditched my salon shampoo and conditioner (plus some random Pantene I still used occasionally), my bathroom hand soap and my shaving cream. While on our family vacation, I secretively used my sister's Aubrey Organics Pomegranate "Creme de la Shave" to shave my legs.... and I loved it! So, I went to Whole Foods and found that the largest bottle they have was only 4 ounces (Cali girls gotta shave their legs 3 times a week!!!). So, I opted for a larger bottle of Abla Bontanica's "Very Emollient" Cream Shave. I tried it out today and it's FABULOUS! So thick and creamy and it makes your legs feel incredibly soft. 2 thumbs up on that product. I got Whole Foods' "365" hand soap, shampoo and conditioner, which so far seem to be good enough (they're only $6 for a HUGE bottle of each). And I got Tom's brand whitening toothpaste --- which actually tastes pretty decent for being organic. I'm still searching for all of the right organic makeup items ---- But, at least ALL of my other daily-use products are officially toxic-free! One step at a time, people!